Nuts & Weight Loss

The American public is constantly being assaulted by advertisements promising a quick fix for an emergent problem in the US today. Namely, obesity.

“Lose 30 pounds in 30 days!”

“Fit into your skinniest skinny jeans by next week!”

“Watch as your waist shrinks with our miracle diet pill!”

“Slim down in time for bathing suit season!”

What many do not seem to understand is that losing long-term weight doesn’t require a diet; it requires a lifestyle change. Although fad diets do promise fast and effortless weight loss, they often involve cutting perfectly healthy foods from your diet. Additionally, the weight loss is not permanent or even long-term, since your body craves the vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and calories that it misses during the period of your crash diet. That endless weight gain/weight loss cycle is uncomfortable, discouraging, and, many experts agree, unhealthy.

They key to a healthy, long-term weight loss plan is balance. There are several diets that promote long-term healthy eating habits. Recently, the Mediterranean diet has gained a lot of media attention, and for good reason. Although the diet focuses heavily on fat-dense foods, the fats are unsaturated, and there is a significantly lower incidence of conditions such as cancer and cardiovascular disease in Mediterranean countries such as Greece.

A central food item of the Mediterranean diet are nuts. A common myth regarding nuts is that they are “fattening”. While it is true that nuts are calorically dense, and while the majority of calories found in nuts are fat calories, several recent studies have found that nuts actually promote weight loss. Apparently, all calories are NOT equal. The caloric density of nuts actually works to your advantage when you’re trying to lose weight, since it facilitates satiety earlier than less dense foods.

Additionally, nuts have a relatively low glycemic index (GI). A glycemic index is how we gauge the reaction that carbs have on your blood sugar. Foods with higher GI cause more fat buildup since releases blood into sugar more quickly. A higher GI will cause an insulin rush. (Insulin is the hormone that is directly involved with fat storage.) Nuts and seeds with a low glycemic index include walnuts, cashews, almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds.

Order your supply of EdenNuts all-natural nut butters today and enjoy fantastic flavor with (surprisingly) minimal risk to your waistline.